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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — temperature
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. club — for golf
  23. pass — a permit
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com